I wanted to know if one should use the sustain pedal when playing rags, such as Maple Leaf Rag.
I don't use it at all, but when I listen to recordings in the site they sound more full of notes, as if the pedal is depressed.

I thought I had replied to this thread with my PDA some time ago, but apparently that did not work, because I don't see it. PDA's lead their own lives, it seems.

I have listened to many Ragtime recordings in the past years, and I prefer the ones on which the rags are being played without the use of any pedal.
In my humble attempts, some years ago, to pay Ragtime I also tried to keep from the pedal completely.

Rene Hasekamp

_________________I have had classical piano lessons as a youth, then turned to jazz, then I did hardly play at all for many years and now I have returned to the Classics. I have lessons again since September 2007, and a new teacher since January 2013.

From what I've read if one is accustomed to playing classical pieces where the left hand alternates with roots in octaves and chords, ragtime can be very challenging. It is what I like to term keyboard gymastics or calisthenics. I'm finished learning the first 2 choruses of Maple leaf. 2 more to go! It is AABBACD. But I've heard it performed ABACD.

Without the metronome is almost impossible. It requires a lot of cordination. I prefer to memorize it and once I've learned it forget about the printed page. Like any other classical piece, time and patience are necessary elements for mastering ragtime pieces.

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